Can anyone pick up WBRZ, WVLA, and WAFB with a portable TV?? I recently got a portable TV and it (like all the others) can't pick up JACK even with its external antenna. It only picks up PBS/LPB and WGMB. Are WBRZ, WVLA, and WAFB so low powered that they require a huge antenna?

Can anyone pick up WBRZ, WVLA, and WAFB with a portable TV?? I recently got a portable TV and it (like all the others) can't pick up JACK even with its external antenna. It only picks up PBS/LPB and WGMB. Are WBRZ, WVLA, and WAFB so low powered that they require a huge antenna?

Sounds like the TV antenna is UHF only. WBRZ is a pretty decent power for it's channel number. 30kw. WAFB is only 5kw, low power for VHF world. WVLA and WGMB are both UHF 1000kw full power rigs. But as noted around here WVLA is a lower signal than WGMB for some reason. I'm northeast of Baton Rouge and WGMB, WLPB, and WBRZ are 100% on my receiver. WAFB and WVLA hit around the 70's - 80's. Funny thing is, I get KATC out of Lafayette stronger than I do WAFB.

Sounds like the TV antenna is UHF only. WBRZ is a pretty decent power for it's channel number. 30kw. WAFB is only 5kw, low power for VHF world. WVLA and WGMB are both UHF 1000kw full power rigs. But as noted around here WVLA is a lower signal than WGMB for some reason. I'm northeast of Baton Rouge and WGMB, WLPB, and WBRZ are 100% on my receiver. WAFB and WVLA hit around the 70's - 80's. Funny thing is, I get KATC out of Lafayette stronger than I do WAFB.

Thanks for the info. Strange.....no the antenna looks VHF to me, it's just a straight rod:
I'm in zip 70815 around Flannery Rd. & Fla. Blvd. area. I'm able to hook up cable and other antenna to it, but I'm not sure what kind of antenna I should get. It needs to still be rather small to be somewhat "portable".

It is possibly too short of an antenna to have any VHF gain. I know I can pick up WBRZ pretty easy with a simple set of rabbit ears, but of course when you extend them out they are much longer than that antenna. Go check out Wal-Mart and RadioShack, I doubt you'll want an amplified antenna since that would not be portable, look for an antenna that has the typical rabbit ears and UHF loop to them.

It is possibly too short of an antenna to have any VHF gain. I know I can pick up WBRZ pretty easy with a simple set of rabbit ears, but of course when you extend them out they are much longer than that antenna. Go check out Wal-Mart and RadioShack, I doubt you'll want an amplified antenna since that would not be portable, look for an antenna that has the typical rabbit ears and UHF loop to them.

It is possibly too short of an antenna to have any VHF gain. I know I can pick up WBRZ pretty easy with a simple set of rabbit ears, but of course when you extend them out they are much longer than that antenna. Go check out Wal-Mart and RadioShack, I doubt you'll want an amplified antenna since that would not be portable, look for an antenna that has the typical rabbit ears and UHF loop to them.

If you have a Big/Lots store nearby, they have some simple rabbit ear antennas with UHF loop for $3. You might want to try one of those. Even if it didn't work, you're not out a lot of $$$. (They have amped ones for $6) I bought all they had in my store the other day and gave them to Santa to give out as stocking stuffers for next hurricane season.

You never know where the LIMIT is until you EXCEED it... Dianne B. "Let's try that again... without the oops." (Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum in "Independence Day")

Sounds like the TV antenna is UHF only. WBRZ is a pretty decent power for it's channel number. 30kw. WAFB is only 5kw, low power for VHF world. WVLA and WGMB are both UHF 1000kw full power rigs. But as noted around here WVLA is a lower signal than WGMB for some reason. I'm northeast of Baton Rouge and WGMB, WLPB, and WBRZ are 100% on my receiver. WAFB and WVLA hit around the 70's - 80's. Funny thing is, I get KATC out of Lafayette stronger than I do WAFB.

I'm in South B.R., and I can't pick up WAFB at all. It doesn't even register on my TV's tuner. I get all the other locals OK on my amplified Terk indoor antenna. What's the deal with WAFB, anyway?

I'm in South B.R., and I can't pick up WAFB at all. It doesn't even register on my TV's tuner. I get all the other locals OK on my amplified Terk indoor antenna. What's the deal with WAFB, anyway?

I commonly refer to the Terk's as Terd's Does the antenna specifically state VHF reception? WBRZ is technically VHF but quite a few UHF antennas will receive them since they are on channel 13 at the top of the VHF band. WAFB is running on channel 9...much lower in the frequency spectrum. WAFB is in fact running around 5kw and WBRZ is running at 30kw. Nice little difference there.

WAFB has always been a pain to receive even in the UHF days. I've talked to the station and so have many others...and everyone I talk to gets the same vibe that they can care less about their OTA viewers since they are rocking and rolling on satellite and Cox cable.

I commonly refer to the Terk's as Terd's Does the antenna specifically state VHF reception? WBRZ is technically VHF but quite a few UHF antennas will receive them since they are on channel 13 at the top of the VHF band. WAFB is running on channel 9...much lower in the frequency spectrum. WAFB is in fact running around 5kw and WBRZ is running at 30kw. Nice little difference there.

WAFB has always been a pain to receive even in the UHF days. I've talked to the station and so have many others...and everyone I talk to gets the same vibe that they can care less about their OTA viewers since they are rocking and rolling on satellite and Cox cable.

What model antenna do you have?

The HDTVa. It has rabbit ears for the VHF, and it works fine for WBRZ. The UHF stations are not a problem at all. It's just that dang WAFB that literally won't register no matter what. Anyway, I have cable, so I don't exactly need it - it just bugs me.

ETA: Before I had HD HomeRuns for Clear QAM, I did use the antenna for HD in Windows Media Center. This was a couple of years ago, and ISTR getting WAFB. Has anything happened since then to make WAFB less receivable? (No, I haven't moved.)

The HDTVa. It has rabbit ears for the VHF, and it works fine for WBRZ. The UHF stations are not a problem at all. It's just that dang WAFB that literally won't register no matter what. Anyway, I have cable, so I don't exactly need it - it just bugs me.

ETA: Before I had HD HomeRuns for Clear QAM, I did use the antenna for HD in Windows Media Center. This was a couple of years ago, and ISTR getting WAFB. Has anything happened since then to make WAFB less receivable? (No, I haven't moved.)

On the analog cut-off date, WAFB killed their low power UHF signal on channel 46 and moved it to the vacated channel 9 in the VHF band. Even though it was a low power signal and on a shorter tower, WAFB on RF 46 came in a lot easier than it does now.

To pick up WAFB reliably you'll need an outdoor antenna due to the low power signal. They were in a pain in a butt before the transition and now they are even a bigger pain. Heck, in the place I used to live before, I lost them totally with an outdoor antenna!

If you have a Big/Lots store nearby, they have some simple rabbit ear antennas with UHF loop for $3. You might want to try one of those. Even if it didn't work, you're not out a lot of $$$. (They have amped ones for $6) I bought all they had in my store the other day and gave them to Santa to give out as stocking stuffers for next hurricane season.

And do these actually work? Can you pickup the local channels here with one of those?
Thanks.

And do these actually work? Can you pickup the local channels here with one of those?
Thanks.

If you're in town I'd say yes...especially if you have the antenna near a window facing towards the towers near the south LSU area. Go to DTV.gov, punch in your zip, and you'll see the tower locations.

If you're in town I'd say yes...especially if you have the antenna near a window facing towards the towers near the south LSU area. Go to DTV.gov, punch in your zip, and you'll see the tower locations.

Yeah I did that a while back and saw that most of the major towers were in south BR somewhere around LSU, and I think I saw two others that were in north BR. I mentioned my location in post #2703 above, I can't get much farther away than that and still be in the city limits.

There's a few of those "Cent Bush" and "Small Yards" stores (Dollar Tree & Big Lots ) around here that I can check. I just figured it would cost more to get an actual working (H)DTV antenna. There's a plethora of them on the market for many times that price and I figured most are just out to get your $$ cashing in on the "DTV thing".

It is possibly too short of an antenna to have any VHF gain. I know I can pick up WBRZ pretty easy with a simple set of rabbit ears, but of course when you extend them out they are much longer than that antenna. Go check out Wal-Mart and RadioShack, I doubt you'll want an amplified antenna since that would not be portable, look for an antenna that has the typical rabbit ears and UHF loop to them.

If you have a Big/Lots store nearby, they have some simple rabbit ear antennas with UHF loop for $3. You might want to try one of those. Even if it didn't work, you're not out a lot of $$$. (They have amped ones for $6) I bought all they had in my store the other day and gave them to Santa to give out as stocking stuffers for next hurricane season.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clint S.

And do these actually work? Can you pickup the local channels here with one of those?
Thanks.

I was merely giving an altenative to Wally World and Rat Shack. And for only $3... I thought it might be worth a shot since Digi said you probably would not want an amped antenna. I have used one of these here in the Beaumont/Port Arthur area just experimenting. To see what I might get if I had no electricity for some reason such as hurricane, ice storm or whatever.

I was able to get KFDM (RF channel 21, 170 KW CBS) and KBTV (RF channel 40, 1000 KW FOX) without much too much problem. This was near a window, facing the direction of the towers, and I have a really old house that has asbestos siding and ship-lap walls inside and out. KBMT (RF channel 12, 18 KW ABC/NBC) was not so successful. KBMT does have a CP to go to 160 KW. I am 15.2, 16.4, and 18.1 miles from the transmitters respectively. I hope this gives you some idea of the functionality.

I gave my sister and B-I-L one for Christmas, but I have not played around with it at their house yet. They are less than 5 miles from the transmitters, so I expect that they will be able to get everything even if it is sitting on the floor...

You never know where the LIMIT is until you EXCEED it... Dianne B. "Let's try that again... without the oops." (Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum in "Independence Day")

Yeah I did that a while back and saw that most of the major towers were in south BR somewhere around LSU, and I think I saw two others that were in north BR. I mentioned my location in post #2703 above, I can't get much farther away than that and still be in the city limits.

There's a few of those "Cent Bush" and "Small Yards" stores (Dollar Tree & Big Lots ) around here that I can check. I just figured it would cost more to get an actual working (H)DTV antenna. There's a plethora of them on the market for many times that price and I figured most are just out to get your $$ cashing in on the "DTV thing".

I get confused with who is where...too much forum reading

There's nothing special about a DTV antenna... nothing makes it HDTV. Just like back in the day there was no difference about an antenna that made it a Color TV antenna. You can make an antenna out of coat hangers.

I suspect with set of rabbit ears in the window in you location will get WBRZ, WGMB, WVLA, and WLPB easily. WAFB might take a bit of playing with the antenna location. I didn't have my outdoor antenna setup when I first moved, so I hooked up a pair of amplified rabbit ears in the room(northside of the house), WAFB would not lock most of the time. But I was on the wrong side of the house and not by a window.

So give it a shot.... Wally world works great if you can find one there, since you could return it. But I would stay away from the amped ones since it would no longer be portable...some of them you can turn the amp off but you would think it would "steal" some a bit of the signal being bypassed through the amp.

I was merely giving an altenative to Wally World and Rat Shack. And for only $3... I thought it might be worth a shot since Digi said you probably would not want an amped antenna.

Indeed.

Quote:

I was able to get KFDM (RF channel 21, 170 KW CBS) and KBTV (RF channel 40, 1000 KW FOX) without much too much problem. This was near a window, facing the direction of the towers, and I have a really old house that has asbestos siding and ship-lap walls inside and out. KBMT (RF channel 12, 18 KW ABC/NBC) was not so successful. KBMT does have a CP to go to 160 KW. I am 15.2, 16.4, and 18.1 miles from the transmitters respectively. I hope this gives you some idea of the functionality.

160KW?? 170? 1000KW??? That's several times more than the paltry cheap stations around here.

I see the color codes at AntennaWeb.org denoting types/strengths of an antenna, but when I look at antennae I don't see any mention of this supposed "universal color code" making finding one that will actually work much more of a task.

There's nothing special about a DTV antenna... nothing makes it HDTV. Just like back in the day there was no difference about an antenna that made it a Color TV antenna. You can make an antenna out of coat hangers.

Oh yes I remember back in the 60's making coat hanger antennas, and tagged and draped with aluminum foil. I figured when all this DTV change starting being talked about that antenna manufacturers would try and scam people into thinking they needed a "special antenna". More powerful/larger perhaps, but that's it.

Does anyone know of a site that lists stations' power output? I seem to remember someone on this thread saying WAFB had only 9kw. But here it says 46kw (ERP)...(5.5kw at the top, but 45kw at the bottom. ??) WBRZ it says only 30kw! If that ERP data is correct it says WGMB is 1000kw which I guess explains why that's only 1 of 2 I can receive. But the other I can receive is LPB which is only 20kw. Apparently that's due to them being UHF, where WBRZ, and AFB are VHF. But WVLA is UHF and according to that FCC site, 1000kw! So it doesn't make any sense why I can't receive it. There's two areas for "ERP" on each page so maybe I'm not looking at the right ones. But both say "digital".

160KW?? 170? 1000KW??? That's several times more than the paltry cheap stations around here.

I see the color codes at AntennaWeb.org denoting types/strengths of an antenna, but when I look at antennae I don't see any mention of this supposed "universal color code" making finding one that will actually work much more of a task.

You will only find the color codes on the bigger antennas.
Look below for an example of the color code. Look to the right side of the page you will see the color code for that antenna

Thanks for the info Trip, and where do you find this? Why do those FCC pages have two sections per page that list different ERP amounts? Except for WGMB & WVLA, what you said corresponds with the data in the top section of the page. Thanks.

Thanks for the info Trip, and where do you find this? Why do those FCC pages have two sections per page that list different ERP amounts? Except for WGMB & WVLA, what you said corresponds with the data in the top section of the page. Thanks.

Remember... due to the differences between VHF and UHF, you can not compare the power outputs.

Thanks for the info Trip, and where do you find this? Why do those FCC pages have two sections per page that list different ERP amounts? Except for WGMB & WVLA, what you said corresponds with the data in the top section of the page. Thanks.

My website pulls the data from the FCC and then I do my best to filter through it and determine what is operational and what isn't. I hide whichever FCC records are outdated and still listed.

I've started the process of sorting them to put the ones that are currently operational at the top (with any permits or applications below) but I've yet to do this for even most of the country. I just went ahead and did it for Baton Rouge for your benefit.

- Trip

N4MJC

Comments are my own and not that of the FCC (my employer) or anyone else.

I am looking to get rid of my Cox TV bills, (keeping the internet) and go to OTA signals. Two of our HD TVs do not have built-in tuners so I was looking at a few QAM tuners on eBay. I have an externally mounted HD antenna. Any recommendations or any road blocks that I might encounter?

QAM tuners are for non-encrypted digital cable signals. 8VSB or ATSC receivers are used for OTA reception. I will tell you, it is difficult to find a 1080i/720p standalone receiver at times.

I was also going to mention that if you do have a QAM tuner, you might be surprised to find you might still get the local HD channes over your cable line if you keep the internet. Unless they have changed things, just put a block on the analog channels, but of course YMMV. This would save you from have to mess with an antenna. But the tech in my prefers the antenna method in the first place...getting it from the source without a middle man and it works wonders when the cable is down due to a storm.